7 grml-live - build framework based on FAI for generating a grml and Debian based
8 Linux Live system (CD/ISO)
13 grml-live [-a <architecture>] [-c <classe[s]>] [-C <configfile>] [-g
14 <grml_name>] [-i <iso_name> ] [-o <output_directory>] [-r <release_name>] [-s
15 <suite>] [-t <template_directory>] [-v <version_number>] [-bBFhquVz]
17 CAUTION: Please check out <<current_state,the 'Current state of grml-live with
18 squashfs-tools and kernel' section>> for details about current state of involved
19 tools before starting with grml-live or if you encounter any problems.
24 grml-live provides the build system for creating a grml and Debian based Linux
25 Live-CD. The build system is based on
26 link:http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/[FAI] (Fully Automatic
27 Installation). grml-live uses the "fai dirinstall" feature to generate a chroot
28 system based on the class concept of FAI (see later sections for further
29 details) and provides the framework to be able to generate a full-featured ISO.
30 It does not use all the FAI features by default though and you don't have to
31 know FAI to be able to use it.
33 The use of FAI gives you the flexibility to choose the packages you would like
34 to include on your very own Linux Live-CD without having to deal with all the
35 details of a build process.
37 CAUTION: grml-live does **not** use /etc/fai for configuration but instead
38 provides and uses /etc/grml/fai. This ensures that it does not clash with
39 default FAI configuration and packages, so you can use grml-live and FAI
40 completely independent at the same time!
44 Please notice that you should have a fast network connection as all the Debian
45 packages will be downloaded and installed via network. If you want to use a
46 local mirror (strongly recommended if you plan to use grml-live more than once)
47 checkout mkdebmirror (see /usr/share/doc/grml-live/examples/mkdebmirror),
48 debmirror(1), reprepro(1) (see /usr/share/doc/grml-live/examples/reprepro/ for a
49 sample configuration), apt-cacher(1) and approx(8). To avoid downloading the
50 base system again and again check out FAI's NFSROOT (see FAQ of this document
58 Use the specified architecture instead of the currently running one. This
59 allows building a 32bit system on a 64bit host (though you can't build a 64bit
60 system on a 32bit system/kernel of course). Please notice that real
61 crosscompiling (like building a ppc system on x86) isn't possible due to the
62 nature and the need of working in a chroot. Currently supported values: i386
67 Build the ISO without updating the chroot via FAI. This option is useful for
68 example when working on stable releases: if you have a working base
69 system/chroot and do not want to execute any further updates (via "-u" option)
70 but intend to only build the ISO.
74 Build the ISO without touching the chroot at all. This option is useful if
75 you modified anything that FAI or grml-live might adjust via grml's FAI
76 scripts. It's like the '-b' option but even more advanced. Use only if you
77 really know that you do not want to update the chroot.
81 Specify the CLASSES to be used for building the ISO via FAI. By default only
82 the classes GRMLBASE, GRML_MEDIUM and I386 are assumed, resulting in a small base
83 system (being about ~180MB total ISO size). If using a non-I386 system (like
84 amd64) you should specify the appropriate architecture as well. Additionally you
85 can specify a class providing a grml-kernel (see
86 <<classes,the 'CLASSES' section in this document>> for details about available classes).
87 So instead of GRML_MEDIUM you can also use GRML_SMALL and GRML_FULL.
89 -C **CONFIGURATION_FILE**::
91 The specified file is used as configuration file for grml-live. By default
92 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf is used as default configuration. If a file named
93 /etc/grml/grml-live.local exists it is used as well (sourced after reading
94 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf meant as main file for local configuration). As a last
95 option the specified configuration file is sourced so it is possible to override
96 settings of /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as well as of /etc/grml/grml-live.local.
97 Please notice that all configuration files have to be adjusted during execution
98 of grml-live, so please make sure you use /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as a base for
99 your own configuration file (usually /etc/grml/grml-live.local). Please also
100 notice that the configuration file specified via this option is **not** (yet)
101 supported inside the scripts/hooks/classes at /etc/grml/fai/config. Instead use
102 /etc/grml/grml-live.local for configuration stuff used inside
103 /etc/grml/fai/config.
107 Use specified date as build date information on the ISO instead of the default.
108 The default is the date when grml-live is being executed (retrieved via
109 executing 'date +%Y-%m-%d'). The information is stored inside the file
110 /GRML/grml-version on the ISO, /etc/grml_version in the squashfs file and in all
111 the bootsplash related files. This option is useful if you want to provide an
112 ISO with release information for a specific date but have to build it in
113 advance. Usage example: '-d 2009-10-30'
117 Force execution and do not prompt for acknowledgment of configuration.
121 Set the grml flavour name. Common usage examples: grml, grml-small, grml64.
122 Please do NOT use blanks and any special characters like '/', ';' inside
123 GRML_NAME, otherwise you might notice problems while booting.
127 Display short usage information and exit.
131 Specify name of ISO which will be available inside $OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/grml_isos
134 -I **CHROOT_INSTALL**::
136 Specify name of source directory which provides files that should become part of
137 the chroot/ISO. Not enabled by default. Note: the files are installed under '/'
138 in the chroot so you have to create the rootfs structure on your own.
142 Skip creation of the ISO file. This option is useful if you want to build/update
143 the chroot and/or recreate the squashfs file without building an ISO file.
145 -o **OUTPUT_DIRECTORY**::
147 Main output directory of the build process of FAI. Some directories are created
148 inside this target directory, being: grml_cd (where the files for creating the
149 ISO are located, including the compressed squashfs file), grml_chroot (the
150 chroot system) and grml_isos (where the resulting ISO is stored).
154 Build the ISO without (re-)creating the squashfs compressed file using mksquashfs.
155 This option is useful if you just want to update parts outside the chroot in the ISO.
156 Consider combining this option with the build-only option '-b'.
160 Specify name of the release.
164 Specify the Debian suite you want to use for your live-system. Defaults to
165 "lenny" (being current Debian/stable). Supported values are: etch, lenny, sid.
166 Debian "squeeze" (current Debian/testing) requires base.tgz
167 (/etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/....tar.gz) or a recent version of debootstrap.
169 -t **TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY**::
171 Specify place of the templates used for building the ISO. By default
172 (and if not manually specified) this is /usr/share/grml-live/templates/.
176 Update existing chroot instead of rebuilding it from scratch. This option is
177 based on the softupdate feature of FAI.
179 -v **VERSION_NUMBER**::
181 Specify version number of the release.
185 Increase verbosity in the build process.
189 Use ZLIB instead of LZMA compression in mksquashfs part of the build process.
195 To get a small, Debian-stable and grml-based Live-CD using /grml/grml-live
196 as build and output directory just run:
200 To get a small Debian-unstable and grml-small based Live-CD using
201 /home/mika/grml-live as build and output directory just use:
203 # grml-live -s sid -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -o /home/mika/grml-live
205 To get a medium sized, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD for i386
206 architecture using /grml/grml-live as build and output directory just run:
208 # grml-live -s sid -a i386 -c GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386
210 To get a small, Debian-unstable and grml-based Live-CD using /tmp as build and
211 output directory and use grml_0.0-3.iso as ISO name (placed inside
212 /tmp/grml_isos) just invoke:
214 # grml-live -o /tmp -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 -s sid -i grml_0.0-3.iso
218 If you have about 700MB of free space inside /dev/shm (being a tmpfs, usually
219 you should have >=1GB of RAM) just run "mount -o remount,suid,dev,rw /dev/shm"
220 and use /dev/shm as build and output directory - resulting in very fast build
221 process. But please be aware of the fact that rebooting your system will result
222 in an empty /dev/shm, so please use another directory for $CHROOT_OUTPUT,
223 $BUILD_OUTPUT and $ISO_OUTPUT if you plan to create more persistent output. :)
226 Main features of grml-live
227 --------------------------
229 * create a grml-/Debian-based Linux Live-CD with one single command
231 * class based concept, providing a maximum of flexibility
233 * supports integration of own hooks, scripts and configuration
235 * supports use and integration of own Software and/or Kernels via simple use of
238 * native support of FAI features
240 * multi-arch support (work in progress)
246 grml-live uses FAI and its class based concept for adjusting configuration and
247 setup according to your needs. This gives you flexibility and strength without
248 losing the simplicity in the build process.
250 The main and base class provided by grml-live is named GRMLBASE. It's strongly
251 recommended to **always** use the class GRMLBASE when building an ISO using
252 grml-live, as well as the architecture dependent class which provides the kernel
253 (being 'I386' for x86_32 and 'AMD64' for x86_64) and a GRML_* class (like
254 GRML_SMALL, GRML_MEDIUM or GRML_FULL). The following files and directories are
255 relevant for class GRMLBASE by default:
257 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/GRMLBASE/
258 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/GRMLBASE
259 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/GRMLBASE.var
260 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/instsoft.GRMLBASE
261 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/GRMLBASE
263 Take a look at the next section for information about the concept of those
266 If you want to use your own configuration, extend an existing configuration
267 and/or add additional packages to your ISO just invent a new class (or extend an
268 existing one). For example if you want to use your own class named "FOOBAR" just
269 set CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386" inside /etc/grml/grml-live.local or
270 invoke grml-live using the classes option: "grml-live -c
271 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...".
273 More details regarding the class concept can be found in the documentation of
274 FAI itself (being available at /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/).
281 The package selection part of the classes can be found in
282 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config whereas some further classes are defined for
283 example in /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/ so specific feature sets can be
284 selected. The following classes are predefined:
286 * DEBORPHAN: get rid of all packages listed in output of Deborphan
288 * GRMLBASE: the main class responsible for getting a minimal subset of what's
289 defining a grml system. Important parts of the buildprocess are specified in
290 this class as well, so unless you have a really good reason you should always
293 * GRML_FORENSIC: tools for forensic investigations which has been created
294 by people from link:http://www.forensic-geeks.org/[forensic-geeks.org].
296 * GRML_FULL: full featured grml, also known as the "normal", full grml.
298 * GRML_MEDIUM: medium sized grml version, known as grml-medium
300 * GRML_POWERPC: grml for PowerPC architecture, not supported yet (still work in
303 * GRML_SMALL: minimum sized grml version, known as grml-small
305 * LATEX: LaTeX(-related) packages like auctex, texlive,...
306 (which used to be shipped by grml before the LaTeX removal)
308 * LATEX_CLEANUP: get rid of several very large LaTeX directories
309 (like some /usr/share/doc/texlive-*, /usr/share/doc/texmf,...)
311 * LOCALES: use full featured locales setup (see /etc/locale.gen.grml). This
312 avoids to get rid of /usr/share/locale - which happens by default otherwise - as
315 * NO_ONLINE: do not run scripts during the chroot build process which require a
318 * RELEASE: run some specific scripts and commands to provide the workflow for an
319 official grml release
321 * REMOVE_DOCS: get rid of documentation directories (like /usr/share/doc,
322 /usr/share/man/, /usr/share/info,...)
324 * XORG: providing important packages for use with a base grml-featured X.org
331 Notice that grml-live ships FAI configuration files that do not use the same
332 namespace as the FAI packages itself. This ensures that grml-live does not clash
333 with your usual FAI configuration, so instead of /etc/fai/fai.conf (package
334 fai-client) grml uses /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf instead. For more details see
335 below. To get an idea how another configuration or example files could look like
336 check out /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/examples/simple/ (provided by Debian package
337 fai-doc). Furthermore /usr/share/doc/fai-doc/fai-guide.html/ch-config.html
338 provides documentation regarding configuration possibilities.
342 Script for the main build process. Requires root permissions for execution.
344 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
346 Main configuration file for grml-live which should be considered as a reference
347 configuration file only. Please use /etc/grml/grml-live.local for local
348 configuration instead.
350 /etc/grml/grml-live.local
352 All the local configuration should go to this file. This file overrides any
353 defaults of grml-live. Configurations via /etc/grml/grml-live.local are prefered
354 over the ones from /etc/grml/grml-live.conf. If you want to override settings
355 from /etc/grml/grml-live.local as well you have to specify them on the grml-live
358 /etc/grml/fai/fai.conf
360 Main configuration file for FAI which specifies where all the configuration
361 files and scripts for FAI/grml-live can be found. By default the configuration
362 variables are FAI_CONFIG_SRC=file:///etc/grml/fai/config and
363 FAI_CONFIGDIR=/etc/grml/fai/config - both pointing to a directory shipped by
364 grml-live out-of-the-box so you shouldn't have to configure anything in this
367 /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
369 This file is used by make-fai-nfsroot(8) only. Usually you don't have to change
370 anything inside this file. If you want to modify NFSROOT though you can adjust
373 /etc/grml/fai/NFSROOT
375 This file specifies the package list for creating the NFSROOT.
377 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
379 This file specifies which mirrors should be considered for retrieving the Debian
380 packages when creating the main chroot (including all the software you would
381 like to see included). Important: this file should *not* be adjusted manually!
382 Instead use the GRML_LIVE_SOURCES variable inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf or
383 /etc/grml/grml-live.local which modifies /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list
384 on-the-fly via grml-live then. If you want to generally adjust apt configuration
385 check out /etc/grml/fai/files/etc/apt instead.
387 /etc/grml/fai/config/
389 The main directory for configuration of FAI/grml-live. More details below.
391 /etc/grml/fai/config/class/
393 This directory contains files which specify main configuration variables for the
396 /etc/grml/fai/config/debconf/
398 This directory provides the files for preseeding/configuration of debconf
401 /etc/grml/fai/config/hooks/
403 This directory provides files for customising the build process through hooks.
404 Hooks are user defined programs or scripts, which are called during the
405 installation process.
407 /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/
409 Directory with lists of software packages to be installed or removed. The
410 different classes describe what should find its way to your ISO. When running
411 "grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386 ..." only the configuration of GRMLBASE,
412 GRML_SMALL and and I386 will be taken. If you use 'grml-live -c
413 GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,FOOBAR ...' then the files of GRMLBASE, GRML_SMALL,
414 I386 **plus** the files from FOOBAR will be taken. So just create a new class to
415 adjust the package selection according to your needs. Please notice that the
416 directory GRMLBASE contains a package list defining a minimum but still
417 reasonable package configuration.
419 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/
421 Scripts for customising the ISO within the build process.
425 This directory provides files used inside the scripts of
426 /etc/grml/fai/config/scripts/*. For a full documentation what happens with the
427 files please refer to the source of the scripts.
429 /etc/grml/fai/live-initramfs/
431 This directory provides the files used for building the initramfs/initrd via
438 grml-live itself logs to /var/log/grml-live.log. Unless you set ZERO_LOGFILE in
439 /etc/grml/grml-live.conf the output is appended to the file. If you set the
440 ZERO_LOGFILE configuration option the logfile will be truncated on each new
441 invocation of grml-live.
443 The FAI part of grml-live logs to /var/log/fai/$HOSTNAME/ - so the
444 default being /var/log/fai/grml/.
446 If you are using the grml-live buildd you will find the logs of the grml-live
447 run at /var/log/grml-buildd.stdout and /var/log/grml-buildd.stderr.
450 Requirements for the build system
451 ---------------------------------
453 * any Debian based system should be sufficient (if it doesn't work it's a bug,
454 please send us a bug report then) [a usual
455 link:http://grml.org/grml2hd/[grml2hd] harddisk installation (using grml or
456 grml-medium) ships all you need]. Check out <<deploy-on-debian,How do I deploy
457 grml-live on a plain Debian installation>> for details how to set up grml-live
458 on a plain, original Debian system.
460 * enough free disk space; at least 800MB are required for a minimal grml-live
461 run (\~400MB for the chroot [$CHROOT_OUTPUT], \~150MB for the build target
462 [$BUILD_OUTPUT] and \~150MB for the resulting ISO [$ISO_OUTPUT] plus some
463 temporary files), if you plan to use GRML_FULL you should have at least 4GB of
464 total free disk space
466 * fast network access for retrieving the Debian packages used for creating the
467 chroot (check out "local mirror" and "NFSROOT" to workaround this problem as far
470 For further information see next section.
474 Current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel
475 ---------------------------------------------------------
477 To make it easier to track problems this section documents current state of
478 grml-live playing together with squashfs-tools / squashfs-lzma-tools (for
479 building the compressed file) and the kernel version. Documentation of this
480 section is up2date by 7rd of september 2009, please report any bugs you
483 Difference between squashfs-lzma-tools and squashfs-tools
484 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
486 Whereas the ZLIB compression is much faster in the build process, the LZMA
487 compression provides a smaller resulting ISO. If you're wondering: the official
488 Grml builds use the LZMA compression.
490 Squashfs-tools was introduced in Debian and once provided support for LZMA
491 compression. Sadly LZMA compression within squashfs-tools became unsupported and
492 therefore squashfs-lzma-tools had to be introduced by the Grml team. Different
493 kernel versions provide different squashfs file formats (version 3.x for kernel
494 versions until 2.6.28-grml[64], since kernel 2.6.31-grml[64] it's the 4.x
497 If you're wondering which package supports what, here's a short overview:
499 * squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
502 * squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7: ZLIB as default, no LZMA support/options, file format
505 * squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via -nolzma
506 option, file format version 3
508 * squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2: ZLIB as default, LZMA support via -lzma option,
509 file format version 4
511 * squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1: LZMA as default, ZLIB support via -nolzma option,
512 file format version 3
514 Depending on the kernel version you want to use you need different versions
515 squashfs-tools/squashfs-lzma-tools. Yes, that's pretty a mess (don't ask how
516 much this sucks for us developers) - though this is supposed to calm down with
517 the recent integration of squashfs file format 4 in the mainline kernel. Support
518 for LZMA is pending and should dramatically simplify the situation for
519 developers as well as users as soon as it's available mainline.
521 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 on the build system
522 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
524 squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 is available via the grml repositories. It provides
525 the mksquashfs-lzma and unsquashfs-lzma binaries. The package does NOT conflict
526 with Debian's squashfs-tools package (you can install both of them at the same
529 The packages can be downloaded from
530 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma-tools/]
532 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
533 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64]. It supports LZMA as well as
534 ZLIB compression. Just use the defaults for enabling LZMA or use grml-live's
535 '-z' option if you want to use ZLIB instead.
537 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml[64]: does not work
538 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml[64]: does not work
539 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
540 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
544 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools >=4.0-2 from Grml if you want to remaster any
545 grml release being MORE RECENT than 2009.05.
547 Using squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 on the build system
548 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
550 squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 is available in Debian/unstable and Debian/testing. It
551 provides the mksquashfs and unsquashfs binaries. The package does NOT
552 conflict with the squashfs-lzma-tools 4.0-2 package (you can install both of
553 them at the same time).
555 The packages can be downloaded from
556 link:ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs/[ftp://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/squashfs/]
558 It provides support for the new squashfs file format version 4 and therefore
559 requires kernel versions newer than 2.6.28-grml[64].
561 It does NOT support LZMA compression. If you need LZMA support please use
562 Grml's squashfs-lzma-tools (see section above) instead.
564 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml[64]: does not work
565 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml[64]: does not work
566 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml[64]: does not work
567 * Kernel 2.6.31-grml[64]: works
570 Please use squashfs-tools 1:4.0-1 only if you want to remaster grml releases
571 MORE RECENT than 2009.05 using the ZLIB compression.
573 Using squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 on the build system
574 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
576 squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 from the grml repository supports kernel
577 2.6.26-grml[64] and 2.6.28-grml[64] using both LZMA and ZLIB (-nolzma)
578 compression. It's the recommended package for building ISOs with grml-live
581 The packages can be downloaded from
582 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/[http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/s/squashfs-lzma/].
585 Please use squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 if you want to remaster grml release
588 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 on the build system
589 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
591 squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 is available through
592 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_i386.deb (for x86) or
593 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.3-7_amd64.deb (for amd64) [both build
594 on and for Debian/etch but working with testing and unstable as well].
596 Please notice that squashfs-tools 1:3.3-7 does NOT support LZMA compression at
597 all (so you won't be able to remaster release 2008.11 and 2009.05 using LZMA for
598 example). The -nolzma option of mksquashfs is not available therefore (even
599 though grml-live will deactivate it for you automatically anyway). Please use
600 squashfs-lzma-tools instead.
602 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: does NOT work, please use squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1
603 instead if you still want to use kernel 2.6.23 (not
605 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
606 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: works (without LZMA compression only of course!)
608 Using squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 on the build system
609 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
611 squashfs-tools 1:3.2r2-9exp1 is available via the grml-testing repository,
614 # aptitude install squashfs-tools=1:3.2r2-9exp1
616 or directly via downloading the files
617 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_i386.deb (for x86) or
618 http://grml.org/squashfs/squashfs-tools_3.2r2-9exp1_amd64.deb (for amd64).
620 Using with ZLIB compression (SQUASHFS_OPTIONS='-nolzma' or -z
621 option in grml-live cmdline):
623 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
624 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: works
625 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: supposed to work (not verified though)
627 Using with LZMA compression:
629 * Kernel 2.6.23-grml: works
630 * Kernel 2.6.26-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
631 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
632 * Kernel 2.6.28-grml: does NOT work, please use ZLIB mode instead or switch
633 to Debian package squashfs-lzma-tools 3.3-1 (see section above).
640 How do I deploy grml-live on a plain Debian installation?
641 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
643 The easiest way to get a running grml-live setup is to install grml or
644 grml-medium using grml2hd (for example inside KVM, Virtualbox, VMware,... if you
645 don't want to run it on a physical system). Of course using grml-live on a
646 plain, original Debian installation is supported as well. So there we go.
648 What we have: plain, original Debian Lenny (5.0).
650 What we want: build a grml-medium ISO based on Debian/squeeze for the i386
651 architecture using grml-live.
655 If you encounter any problems while booting the resulting ISO please be aware of
656 <<current_state,the 'current state of grml-live with squashfs-tools and kernel'
662 # adjust sources.list:
663 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
665 # grml stable repository:
666 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
667 # deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
669 # grml testing/development repository:
670 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
671 # deb-src http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
674 # adjust apt-pinning (only prefer squashfs stuff from grml):
675 cat >> /etc/apt/preferences << EOF
677 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
680 Package: squashfs-tools
681 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
684 Package: squashfs-lzma-tools
685 Pin: origin deb.grml.org
689 # get keyring for apt:
691 apt-get --allow-unauthenticated install grml-debian-keyring
693 # install basefile so we don't have to build basic chroot from scratch:
694 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/
695 mv base.tgz /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/I386.tar.gz
697 # install relevant tools
698 # please check out http://grml.org/grml-live/#current_state when encountering problems!
699 apt-get -o APT::Install-Recommends=false install grml-live squashfs-lzma-tools
701 # adjust grml-live configuration for our needs:
702 cat > /etc/grml/grml-live.local << EOF
703 # consider using LZMA only for space reasons (resulting in longer
704 # build time but smaller ISO):
705 SQUASHFS_OPTIONS="-nolzma"
706 # install local files into the chroot
707 CHROOT_INSTALL="/etc/grml/fai/chroot_install"
708 ## adjust if necessary (defaults to /grml/grml-live):
709 ## OUTPUT="/srv/grml-live"
710 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="squeeze http://cdn.debian.net/debian/"
712 CLASSES="GRMLBASE,GRML_MEDIUM,I386"
714 # ZERO_FAI_LOGFILE='1'
716 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-stable main
717 deb http://deb.grml.org/ grml-testing main
718 deb http://cdn.debian.net/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
722 # just optional(!) - upgrade FAI to latest available version:
723 cat >> /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
725 deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download lenny koeln
728 # get gpg key of FAI repos and install current FAI version:
729 gpg -a --recv-keys AB9B66FD; gpg -a --export AB9B66FD | apt-key add -
731 apt-get install fai-client fai-server fai-doc
733 That's it. Now invoking 'grml-live -V' should build the ISO. If everything
734 worked as expected the last line of the shell output should look like:
736 [*] Successfully finished execution of grml-live [running 687 seconds]
738 and the ISO can be found inside /grml-live/grml-live/grml_isos/ then.
741 Help, I'm using Debian etch and I don't have FAI version >3.2
742 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
744 wget http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb \
745 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb \
746 http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/etch/fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
747 dpkg -i fai-client_3.2.8_all.deb fai-server_3.2.8_all.deb fai-doc_3.2.8_all.deb
749 or check out the link:http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/[FAI-homepage] for
753 I've problems with the build process. How to start debugging?
754 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
756 Check out the logs inside /var/log/fai/... If you think it's a bug in grml-live
757 send a copy of your config, logs and the commandline with a short problem
758 description to <mika@grml.org>:
760 # history | grep grml-live > /etc/grml/grml_live.cmdline
761 # tar zcf grml_live_problem.tar.gz /etc/grml/grml-live.conf \
762 /etc/grml/grml-buildd.conf /var/log/fai /etc/grml/fai
763 -> finally mail grml_live_problem.tar.gz to <mika@grml.org>
765 If you need help with grml-live or would like to see new features as part of
766 grml-live you can get commercial support via
767 link:http://grml-solutions.com/[Grml Solutions].
770 How much is the difference between LZMA and ZLIB compression?
771 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
773 ISO size (bs = blocksize):
775 [width="45%",cols="3,^2,^2"]
776 |============================================================
777 |ISO |LZMA (256kB bs) |ZLIB
778 |grml_sid |666M | 771M
779 |grml_squeeze |659M | 761M
780 |grml_lenny |624M | 723M
781 |grml64_sid |677M | 791M
782 |grml64_squeeze |671M | 785M
783 |grml64_lenny |639M | 745M
784 |grml-medium_sid |208M | 236M
785 |grml-medium_squeeze |206M | 234M
786 |grml-medium_lenny |193M | 220M
787 |grml64-medium_sid |213M | 245M
788 |grml64-medium_squeeze |213M | 244M
789 |grml64-medium_lenny |201M | 231M
790 |grml-small_sid |102M | 118M
791 |grml-small_squeeze |101M | 117M
792 |grml-small_lenny |97M | 112M
793 |grml64-small_sid |103M | 120M
794 |grml64-small_squeeze |103M | 120M
795 |grml64-small_lenny |99M | 116M
796 |============================================================
798 Build time of grml-medium's squashfs file (depends on your system, though just
799 to get the ratio between the different options):
801 * 10 minutes and 4 seconds with LZMA default blocksize (128k)
802 * 7 minutes 27 seconds with LZMA and blocksize 256k
803 * 6 minutes and 8 seconds with LZMA blocksize 512k
804 * 1 minute and 40 seconds with ZLIB
806 [[install-local-files]]
807 How to I install further files into the chroot/ISO?
808 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
810 Just point the configuration variable CHROOT_INSTALL to the directory which
811 provides the files you would like to install. Note that the files are installed
812 under '/' in the chroot - so you have to create the rootfs structure on your
815 echo "CHROOT_INSTALL=\$GRML_FAI_CONFIG/chroot_install" >> /etc/grml/grml-live.local
816 mkdir -p /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
817 wget example.org/foo.tar.gz
818 mv foo.tar.gz /etc/grml/fai/chroot_install/usr/src/
821 [[local-debian-mirror]]
822 Can I use my own (local) Debian mirror?
823 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
825 Sure. Just adjust the variables GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP (if not
826 already using NFSROOT's base.tgz) inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf according to
827 your needs. Please don't forget that you should use the grml servers as well
828 (see default configuration) so all the grml packages can be downloaded as well.
830 If you want to use a local (for example NFS mount) mirror additionally, just
831 adjust MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES inside /etc/grml/grml-live.conf as
834 Unless you specify GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and/or FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP the default from
835 /etc/grml/fai/apt/sources.list and /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf will be
836 taken. If you customise the variables in /etc/grml/grml-live.conf then the two
837 files will be adjusted during runtime automatically.
839 If MIRROR_DIRECTORY and MIRROR_SOURCES are specified the local mirror will be
840 taken as first entry in the generated sources.list so it's prefered over
841 non-local mirrors. Using a fallback mirror (via providing several mirrors in
842 GRML_LIVE_SOURCES as used by default) is a recommended setting.
844 [[add-additional-debian-packages]]
845 How do I add additional Debian package(s) to my CD/ISO?
846 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
848 Just create a new class (using the package_config directory):
850 # cat > /etc/grml/fai/config/package_config/MIKA << EOF
854 another_name_of_a_debian_package
858 and specify it when invoking grml-live then:
860 # grml-live -c GRMLBASE,GRML_SMALL,I386,MIKA
862 [[reset-grml-live-configuration]]
863 I fscked up my grml-live configuration. How do I reset it to the defaults?
864 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
866 Notice: this deletes all your grml-live configuration files. If that's really
867 what you are searching for just run:
869 rm -rf /etc/grml/fai /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
870 dpkg -i --force-confnew --force-confmiss /path/to/grml-live_..._all.deb
874 If you don't control your /etc using a version control system (VCS) yet it's a
875 good chance to start using it now. Check out
876 link:http://michael-prokop.at/blog/2007/03/14/maintain-etc-with-mercurial-on-debian/[http://michael-prokop.at/blog/2007/03/14/maintain-etc-with-mercurial-on-debian/]
877 for more details how to maintain /etc using the mercurial VCS.
879 [[create-a-base-tgz]]
880 How do I create a base.tgz for use as NFSROOT?
881 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
883 First of all build the chroot system:
885 mkdir /tmp/nfsroot && cd /tmp/nfsroot
886 debootstrap lenny /tmp/nfsroot/ http://cdn.debian.net/debian
889 Then check out where your NFSROOT is located:
891 # grep '^NFSROOT' /etc/grml/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf
892 NFSROOT=/grml/fai/nfsroot
894 So as /grml/fai/nfsroot is your NFSROOT place the file under
895 /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/:
897 mv base.tgz /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
899 or even better use /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz instead.
900 Use I386 as $CLASSNAME for i386 builds and AMD64 for amd64 builds.
902 Now running "grml-live ..." will use this file as main system instead of
903 executing debootstrap. Check out the output for the following lines if using
907 Calling task_extrbase
908 Unpacking Debian base archive
909 Extracting /grml/fai/nfsroot/live/filesystem.dir/var/tmp/base.tgz
913 or if using /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles/$CLASSNAME.tar.gz for:
916 ftar: extracting /etc/grml/fai/config/basefiles///AMD64.tar.gz to
917 /grml-live/grml-live_20071029.22138/grml_chroot//
921 Set up apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng for use with grml-live
922 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
924 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
927 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
930 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-stable main
931 deb http://localhost:3142/deb.grml.org grml-testing main
932 deb http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian lenny main contrib non-free
935 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:3142/cdn.debian.net/debian lenny main contrib non-free"
937 Make sure apt-cacher / apt-cacher-ng is running ('/etc/init.d/apt-cacher
938 restart' or '/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng restart'). That's it. All downloaded
939 files will be cached in /var/cache/apt-cacher/ or /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng then.
942 Set up approx for use with grml-live
943 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
945 Make sure /etc/grml/grml-live.conf provides according GRML_LIVE_SOURCES and
948 # cat /etc/grml/grml-live.conf
951 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-stable main
952 deb http://localhost:9999/grml grml-testing main
953 deb http://localhost:9999/debian lenny main contrib non-free
955 FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP="lenny http://localhost:9999/debian"
959 # cat /etc/approx/approx.conf
961 debian http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian
962 grml http://deb.grml.org/
964 Don't forget to restart approx (/etc/init.d/approx restart). That's it.
965 All downloaded files will be cached in /var/cache/approx now.
968 I've a question which isn't answered by this document
969 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
971 Don't hesitate to contact the author: <mika@grml.org>
974 Download / install grml-live as a Debian package
975 ------------------------------------------------
977 Debian packages are available through the grml-repository at
978 link:http://deb.grml.org/pool/main/g/grml-live/[deb.grml.org]. If you want to
979 build a Debian package on your own (using for example a specific version or the
980 current development tree), just execute:
982 git clone git://git.grml.org/grml-live
990 The source of grml-live is available at
991 link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git[http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git]
997 Check out the link:http://git.grml.org/?p=grml-live.git;a=blob;f=TODO;hb=HEAD[TODO file].
1003 Please report feedback, link:http://grml.org/bugs/[bugreports] and wishes
1004 link:http://grml.org/contact/[to the grml-team]!
1009 Michael Prokop <mika@grml.org>
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